Ouya review: Open Android console lacks in both games and hardware

Ouya, the anticipated Android console that secured record funding on Kickstarter last year, is now on sale in the UK and US.

Designed to "revolutionise" the living room, it brings affordable, digital mobile-style games to television screens, and since it runs on Android, offers a platform that is open to homebrew apps and emulating other systems.

Similar to the PS4 controller, there's a central touchpad for menu navigation. Unfortunately it's often too unwieldy to use, with the sensitivity of each axis not quite correlating with one another, but thankfully very few games use it.

It's handy, then, that existing Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers are supported through USB and Bluetooth, which are perfect replacements for the main controller and as extra inputs for multiplayer.

A big oversight with Ouya is the button layout. The face buttons are labelled O, U, Y and A, with the A button on the right and O on the bottom, the opposite of where they are on Xbox and PlayStation.

This leads to a lot of confusion when navigating menus and learning controls, and if playing on a non-Ouya controller, will force you to regularly refer to the original controller to remind yourself what's where.

Finally, despite the promise of expanding on the internal 8GB of memory with USB storage, right now it doesn't work.

There's no way to download games directly to a USB device, meaning you're trapped with what's available in the box until an upcoming update.

The firmware

The Ouya was one of the more cumbersome console set-ups that we've experienced.

What ideally should take a few minutes took several hours, with problems connecting to Wifi and 90 minutes of waiting before the latest firmware was downloaded.

There were then further issues connecting to the server to enter a credit card, presumably because the servers were being hammered by US users that particular evening. Ultimately, we couldn't actually play until the morning after set-up.

An important sidenote is that you cannot access the system at all without entering a credit card or a pre-bought credit first, so make sure you have either on-hand before you set up.

Despite some initial hassles, once you're in, using Ouya's software is by and large a good experience.

There are limited menu options, but everything is straightforward to navigate and easy to find, while the interface itself – with its bold colors and stylish fonts – is very attractive.

While there's no major issues with Ouya's firmware, over time there feels like a dozen smaller problems that need ironing out, or features we take for granted on other systems that need introducing.

Game downloads are fast and easy, but searching is limited - you cannot browse by cost or developer - and there's no download queue to view pending software at a glance, meaning there's no way to later prioritize what you should download first.

One of the advantages of Ouya is that every game is free to try, which is a welcome requirement.

Unfortunately the cost of games aren't listed in the shop, so it's impossible to know how much something is until you're inside the game itself.

There is a flexibility to purchasing that is a benefit to consumers and developers, though. Some halt a playable trial to request money at the end of the stage, others have in-game credits that count down as you try out various modes, while others are completely free.

Ouya offers a limited number of apps. Streaming service Twitch, available at launch, is easy to use.

The shop offers multiple playlists highlighting exclusive content or favorite games by leading industry figures, which is great for discovering hidden gems.

Unfortunately, games are often miscategorised or missing when it comes to genre listings, making them unreliable.

There is also some system-wide features we'd love to have seen implemented, such as a friend system for leaderboard support, and achievements. Right now both are handled on a per-game basis, as is the case with Canabalt HD.

The games

Regardless of how strong hardware or software is, a console is defined by the games library that is available. And unfortunately, the Ouya right now is rather lacking.

The bulk of 200 games available at present are ports of existing Android and console downloadable titles, or forgettable platformers and shooters with low production values.

That's not to say there aren't a few gems in there. Hidden in Plain Sight, The Bard's Tale, Puddle and You Don't Know Jack have been on multiple systems in many guises, they are polished ports that are worth a look.

While there are exclusives, such as enjoyable single-screen multiplayer title Towerful and demo versions of Fist of Awesome and Chrono Blade, none are exactly system sellers.

Final Fantasy III, Canabalt HD and Super Crate Box are more games that you've experienced on other systems.

But all three are making their console debut exclusively on Ouya, and are all particularly standout titles that really shine on a television.

There are also some weird and wonderful experimental games to be found, including ports of Super Hexagon developer Terry Cavanagh's flash oddities, all available for free.

Ouya's lineup is dominated by 2D games, and which mostly run flawlessly on the system's modest Tegra 3 hardware.

3D games, on the other hand, are a mixed bag. Final Fantasy III and Polarity manage to appear fresh thanks to their strong art style.

A port of Unreal Engine 3 title The Ball, meanwhile, suffers from low resolution textures and low polygon counts, but thankfully maintains a solid frame rate.

Finally, there are a handful of entertaining multiplayer games worth hunting down. The aforementioned Towerfall, Canabalt and Hidden in Plain Sight are must tries, while the bizarre Mrs. Dad vs Korv and Amazing Frog are good for a laugh.

Open potential

The Android-infrastructure that Ouya is built on means potential for open-source and side-loaded content.

There are also emulators for NES, SNES, Mega Drive and PlayStation available, some on the Ouya store and others through Android, and thankfully all run smoothly.

Like its games offering, all of the above apps are currently possible elsewhere (such as PC and some consoles), but there could be some users who would like to have an open device like this running on a television.

But you can expect more in this area as hackers get their heads around what the hardware is capable of.

Verdict

We wouldn't recommend the Ouya in its current stage. While there are plans to improve the hardware every year, and update the firmware once every three weeks to iron out bugs and add features, it's difficult to say what the future holds.

SEGA and Double Fine have both committed to the console, so expect the likes of Sonic CD, The Cave and Broken Age before too long. But, like many of Ouya's best games, these are all available elsewhere.

Since launching in June, there's been a flurry of excitement from independent developers for the system, which is a promising sign. Whether this means we'll see exclusive content or more ports from these studios, however, remains to be seen.

While the budget price of £99 / $99 sounds appealing, bear in mind that an extra £40 can get a 12GB PS3, which has seven years of excellent software behind it, and offers far stronger indie content at similar prices.

Ouya's open nature is an advantage, however, and could be one of the most promising aspects in the long term. But as a serious gaming platform, in terms of its lineup and hardware prowess, right now it's seriously lacking.